GARDY-LOO, everyone! I live near WATER-LOO ...that means "a final, crushing defeat." Oh, boo-hoo, guess I live too near Waterloo to get the box of goodies! TTBF! (trying to be funny!) CONGRATS, toomuchglass & susieroses...I love 'em both! Our SJJ will be so much fun! Lookin' forward to it! Could ya' hear me clapping in the audience, susieroses...you know me, I HAD to snap a pic!...awesome gown your wearin'! Thanks Kirk & Carol...all your hard work again!!! Appreciated! Jeanne S.

Susie, Glad you received your package! It was fun to put together! Both books were found new at garage sales. I should have sent you my tattered copy of Joshua but the tattered copy means so much to me as it has great memories. :o) Yes, I love photography...living where we live gives me lots of photographic opportunities. ENJOY!!!! Bear Hugs! Kirk

The fundraiser was a plant sale & garden art made by members. The entire theme was dealing with recycled garden art and had this contest along with a speaker talk about repurposing in the garden. I heard they made over $1,100! This post was edited by becky_ia on Sun, Sep 15, 13 at 15:04

gracie-2006 - Nearly all recipes are similar in some respects - that's just the basics of food science and the common ratio of certain ingredients it takes to make a cake, cookies, or a quick bread, etc.... What's different about your recipe for biscuits (as an example) that makes it interesting or noteworthy, that hasn't already been done? I created a recipe for a homemade wholegrain baking mix, similar to Bisquick. I use it instead of Bisquick in recipes, but it includes oatmeal, cornmeal, wholegrain flours along with some other ingredients, and I make fruit-flavored biscuits with it plus fruit-flavored yogurt and all-fruit spread. Just those 3 ingredients. Use strawberry yogurt and strawberry preserves and cut the biscuits in larger rounds than for biscuits and use them topped with fresh strawberries for strawberry shortcake. Look at it from that angle. I'm going to bet the "contest" will Google for similar recipes as a way to quickly eliminate recipes. They want something that is more-or-less "orginal". Just as those of us who "read" and collect cookbooks can scan a recipe to see if it will be "good", while hubby has to have a picture of the recipe before he thinks it might be good. You may get attention by being something that is easily recognized as Quick & Easy, Low-Fat, made in a microwave, etc. as well as the unusual use of the ingredients themselves. Those are key words for adding to the name of the recipe. What's new and improved about a meatloaf sandwich? Who would have ever thought you could make it in a pita or wrap using crumbled cold meatloaf and coleslaw, or coleslaw veggies from the bag, plus a dressing of some kind? How about a chipotle dressing or a salsa? You just have to know somebody's husband was cleaning out the leftovers in the refrigerator and created something like that...and loved it! You now have a unique use for that bag of shredded coleslaw mix as a sandwich topper - or how about adding it to soup. Think beyond the obvious use for coleslaw. I have 6 variations of Brand Name Cookbooks that include specific ingredients. These recipes were commonly found on the back of the box or lable, side panel, or a booklet, from hundreds of brands of food products. If you have something in mind for certain brand name foods/ingredients, that's a place I'd start looking to see if your idea is unique. For instance, who would have thought to use Coffee Rich Frozen Non-Dairy Creamer in a recipe for Stuffed Onions? Or 1 cup of Coca-Cola in a recipe for Scottish Oaten Bread? Both are recipes from "More Favorite Brand Name Recipes Cookbook" by the editors of Consumer Guide. Over 1,800 in just this one book... Think of all the French's Fried Onions and Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup that have been sold when someone came up with "Green Bean Casserole". Love it or hate it, it's a winning recipe that is served at every potluck dinner and most holidays and has stood the test of time. I'd still like to know who thought long and hard before they add a can of drained and chopped sauerkraut to a chocolate cake? My mother used to make this cake and everyone loved it. She got a hoot out of telling them there was sauerkraut in it. Or how about that bottle of red food coloring for Red Velvet Cake? What were they thinking? (LOL) -Grainlady